BYOB

(Bring your own boat)

A couple of months ago Darrin and I began planning a backpacking trip around Christmas. It was ultimately moved to the first weekend in January due to other obligations. I suggested a route combining a portion of the Foothills Trail and a trail in Gorges State Park. We would start from highway 178 near Rocky Bottom, SC and hike to the Frozen Creek Road trailhead in Gorges State Park (NC). There are several attractive campsites along the way, including Laurel Fork Falls, Rock Creek, and Toxaway Creek. The route would take us past Laurel Fork Falls, which was high on Darrin’s to-do list. We would also have the option of taking a side trip up to Sky Falls on Rock Creek, but that would require crossing private property.

Darrin recruited Van and Bob to join us. Unfortunately, by New Year’s Day complications had come up that would make it difficult for me to backpack. We briefly considered switching to a car camping trip, but in the end, Darrin, Van, and Bob decided to stick with the original plan. I elected to simply dayhike with them on Saturday. Because of my change in plans, Brenda decided to join us for a Saturday dayhike, also.

According to conventional wisdom, the only way to get a good view of Laurel Fork Falls is from a boat on Lake Jocassee. The waterfall spills directly into the lake, making access to the base of the falls by land (theoretically) impossible. I was feeling guilty about bailing out on the backpacking trip, so I decided to make it up to everyone. Since Darrin, Van, and Bob would all be carrying heavy packs, I could, too. The only difference is that their packs would contain camping gear. Mine would hold a boat.

My friend Dave has been storing an inflatable 2 person “kayak” in my garage for 10 years or so. I’ve used it a handful of times, generally on lakes and rivers in eastern North Carolina. Although it is heavy and bulky, it actually fit in my old backpack. My plan was to carry it in on the Foothills Trail all the way to Lake Joccassee. Our plan was to hike from Laurel Gap on Horsepasture Road. That would shave 3+ miles off the normal hike from the main parking area closer to highway 178. When we got to the lake, we would inflate the boat and take turns paddling up a cove to the base of the falls.

The dogs and I met everyone else at the main parking area shortly after 8:30 Saturday morning. Darrin and Bob had just finished running a shuttle, leaving Bob’s vehicle up at Frozen Creek Road. However, there was still time for one final change in plans. The weather forecast for Saturday night and Sunday had deteriorated since earlier in the week. There was now a good chance for rain and freezing rain. After some debate, Darrin, Van, and Bob decided to abort the backpacking trip and car camp instead. That way they could easily bail out if the weather turned foul. So, everybody would be dayhiking to Laurel Fork Falls – but only one of us would be carrying a big pack. The good news is that Bob wasn’t carrying any sort of pack at all. He took my small pack, containing lunch and extra clothes, which I had planned to strap to the back of the big one. That made the hike a lot less awkward. Thanks Bob!

We drove down Horsepasture Road about four miles to an old road branching off to the left. We parked there, careful not to block the road. From there we hiked west on Horsepasture Road a short distance to Laurel Gap. There is a four way intersection here, with Horsepasture Road continuing left towards Jump Off Rock, and Cane Brake Road branching right towards Rock Creek. We went straight ahead, down a footpath that led to another old road. We followed this road down the valley, crossing several small streams. After 30 minutes or so we reached a bridge over Laurel Fork and the Foothills Trail.

We turned right for a quick side trip up to Virginia Hawkins Falls. This is a nice waterfall, with a sheer 20’ drop followed by a nice run of pretty cascades. We all took some photos before returning to the Foothills Trail for the hike downstream.

The hike was pretty easy and relatively uneventful. I was glad that the terrain was gentle, because my pack was heavy and uncomfortable. I had strapped the paddle to the back of my pack, and I occasionally clotheslined myself on an overhanging tree limb. Fortunately we made good progress, following Laurel Fork the whole way. We crossed several bridges over the creek, and saw numerous beds of Oconee Bells.

We eventually reached a dirt road, which is open seasonally. There is a campsite here, but it isn’t particularly attractive. We hiked on, reaching the spur trail to the Laurel Fork Falls campsites a bit later. I’ve camped here a couple of times over the years, but my last visit had been 12+ years earlier. On that trip I had attempted to descend the south side of Laurel Fork Falls to get a better view. I found a rough path that was extremely steep and slippery. I descended about half way before becoming too nervous to continue.

On another trip, Christy and I joined some friends for a boat ride across Lake Jocassee. On that occasion, we talked the Captain into taking us up to the base of the falls. The view from the water is neat, but only the lower portion of the falls is visible from that vantage point. The larger, upper part is just out of sight.

We skipped the camping area and continued down the Foothills Trail towards the lake. We passed high above the brink of the falls before reaching a cleared overlook. The overlook offers a pretty good view of the upper part of the falls. However, the waterfall is far below, so it isn’t a great vantage point for photos. I didn’t remember this overlook from my earlier visits. I’m guessing some trees were cleared to provide the vista.

We had lunch there before heading down to the lake. However, while everyone else was eating, I decided to scout a bit. I knew the view from water level would be somewhat limited, and I thought that a direct descent to the base of the falls from the Foothills Trail might be possible. The overlook is on a sheer cliff, but 50 yards west on the Foothills Trail is a steep gully that looked somewhat promising.

I descended cautiously, mostly on my butt. Fortunately the leaves were thick, which kept me from sliding out of control. After the initial descent the grade eased. I walked a short distance, and saw Bob directly above me on the ridge to the west. He had found a better approach. I joined him, and we followed the ridge all the way down to the creek. The final descent was steep and a little dicey, but there were plenty of rhododendrons to hold on to. We bottomed out at a massive rock outcrop right in front of the lower part of the falls. The end of the Laurel Fork cove of Lake Jocassee was directly behind us. It’s a dramatic spot, but it’s a little bit of a tease. The upper part of the falls is still blocked from view, because the stream curves as it falls.

Darrin, Van, and Brenda eventually caught up with us. We all spent a good bit of time exploring the rock and taking in the views. The lower falls is dramatic, and a scattering of icicles added to its beauty. It falls directly in front of the rock outcrop, before turning sharply to the left to race through a deep, narrow chute. At the base of the rock, it bends back to the right and spills into the lake.

We found several launching points for jumping into the lake, which would be fun in (much) warmer weather. I also found one place where it may be possible to climb onto the rock from water level. For a person with a boat, that would be an easier way to access the rock than bushwhacking down from the Foothills Trail.

Darrin found a route up the left side of the creek to the base of the upper drop. I tried to follow, but encountered a fallen tree blocking a steep gully. My legs were too short to easily climb over the log. This was no place for a mistake, as the lower part of the falls was raging directly below. One slip would send me tumbling into a narrow, boulder-lined notch full of frothing whitewater. A screw up there could easily be my last. I tried to climb higher up the slope to an easier place to cross the log, but all of my attempts were thwarted. A rock offered an ideal foothold, but it was covered in ice. Attempts at climbing higher to cross the gully and tree all failed. I considered turning back, but made one last try. I stretched as far as I could and grabbed the trunk of a small tree. I did a chin up, dragging myself up the icy rock. Once above it, I was able to get my feet under me. At that point, I was able to hug the tree and swing over it. Once I was on the far side, the dogs hopped across effortlessly.

The rest of the route was easy. At one point I had to tip toe along the edge of the creek, but the water was shallow enough there that my boots stayed dry. I found a broad flat area of large rocks at the base of the upper falls. The rocks were icy, but I was able to move around there carefully without incident. That spot gave me a great view of the upper part of the falls. The upper portion is probably 60-80’. It starts as a steep, powerful cascade, before most of the water turns abruptly to the right. The main flow runs through a sluice before tumbling over another drop. Smaller streamlets cascade directly over the cliff above, forming an elegant curtain of water. At the base, the stream runs through a short stretch of gentle cascades before plunging over the lower drop.

I took a number of photos before heading back. Just before the gully and tree I reached a clear view of Darrin, Brenda, Van, and Bob on the rock outcrop. I waved to them, and pointed up towards the Foothills Trail. I headed directly up from there, which enabled me to skip the tree and gully crossing. I definitely hadn’t been looking forward to crossing it again! The initial climb was brutally steep, but before long I was able to access the gully I had descended. I then traversed onto the next ridge to the west, which provided an easier route.

The dogs and I waited there for everyone else. While we waited, Kona invented a new game. She would take two bounding leaps down the steep slope before doing a cartwheel and sliding through the leaves on her back. Then she’d jump up, return to her starting point, and repeat the process. I thought it was cute, but Boone wasn’t impressed. He just rolled his eyes.

Darrin eventually caught up. He was carrying my pack with the boat. Due to some miscommunication, he thought we would be inflating it at the bottom of the hill. I felt bad, because carrying it back up that slope must’ve been brutal.

We eventually regrouped on the Foothills Trail. We decided to forgo the additional hike down to the lake. Carrying the boat had been a wasted effort, but that was ok, since we’d gotten an even better view of the waterfall than I had expected.

Darrin carried the pump on the way back, and Bob took the paddle. That lightened my load a bit, which was good, because it was a gradual uphill hike the whole way. Thanks guys! Despite this, I was pretty tired when we returned to the car, and really sore the next day. Darrin, Van, and Bob headed off from there to car camp somewhere along Horsepasture Road. There are quite a few campsites out that way, which is worth remembering. I hope to do a car camping trip in that area in the next couple of months, because there are several hikes in the vicinity that I want to do.

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